-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tamil Tiger rebels acknowledged the death of their leader Sunday , nearly a week after the Sri Lankan government said it had recovered the body of Velupillai Prabhakaran and declared victory in the country 's 25-year civil war with the rebels .

In this picture taken 27 November 2003 , Velupillai Prabhakaran stands next to an LTTE flag .

Prabhakaran `` attained martyrdom fighting the military oppression of the Sri Lankan state '' on May 17 , according to Tamilnet.com , a rebel Web site , citing the group 's international affairs spokesman .

On Tuesday , President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared victory against the Tamil Tigers .

`` We are celebrating the defeat of terrorism , '' he said in a nationally televised speech before parliament . `` We have won and restored democracy in the country . ''

The president declared a national holiday for the following day to celebrate the war 's end and begin a new phase in the country 's history . Watch the victory parade ''

A short time after the presidential address , the military announced that it had recovered the body of Prabhakaran , leader and founder of the Tamil Tigers .

The rebels initially denied the death of their leader , claiming on Tamilnet.com that Prabhakaran was `` alive and safe . ''

The defense ministry said the bodies of Prabhakaran and 18 other senior rebel leaders were among corpses found in mop-up operations , after government troops routed the Tigers -- formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam .

The leaders included Prabhakaran 's eldest son , Charles Anthony , as well as Pottu Amman , the Tigers ' intelligence leader , according to the ministry . Watch the U.N. chief discuss the humanitarian crisis ''

Prabhakaran founded the Tamil Tigers , who have been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries . It initiated the use of women in suicide attacks and , according to the FBI , invented the explosive suicide belt .

Prabhakaran is accused of masterminding the killing of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 in the Tamil-dominated Indian state of Tami Nadu . Sri Lankan authorities allege that Prabhakaran was avenging Gandhi 's decision to send Indian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka .

Two years later , a Tigers suicide bomber , allegedly acting on Prabhakaran 's orders , detonated explosives that killed Sri Lanka 's then-president , Ranasinghe Premadasa , during a rally .

The rebels have fought for an independent state for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka since July 1983 . An estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people have died during the quarter century of fighting .

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Tamil Tiger rebels acknowledge the death of their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran

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Sri Lankan government had said it recovered his body ; rebels initially denied claim

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Sri Lankan government declares victory over Tamil Tiger rebels

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An estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people have died during the quarter century of fighting